Ottawa’s nine-day break in the schedule will officially come to an end Friday night as they face the Pittsburgh Penguins at the PPG Paints Arena and with only 32 games left in the season the Senators have a lot of work to do to climb out of the NHL’s basement before the dust settles in early April.

The Senators had about a 45-minute skate and coach Guy Boucher, who made a trip to Belize during the break, knows it’s going to be difficult for the players to shake off the rust.

“It’s tough to come back and be sharp,” Boucher said Thursday. “It’s not because you don’t want to, it’s just like anything else, it’s a game of inches, it’s a game of fractions of seconds and you don’t have those anymore. You’ve got to get them back and you’ve got to get through it.

“The guys have done a good job on the ice. There’s no magic formula. You’ve just got to get through that first half of the first game. It’s the same for everybody. The difference is that’s what we’re getting, but (Pittsburgh) went through that two games ago and we’re expecting a very strong start on their part. That’s what we’re going to have to fight tomorrow.”

The good news is the Senators will be totally healthy with centre Colin White back from a shoulder injury. It will be the first time this season the Senators have all four of their top centres with Matt Duchene, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Chris Tierney and White.

“We’re in February and we’re going to be happy that’s something we can look forward in the next days and the next game,” Boucher said. “Your goalie is No. 1, then your top-four (defencemen) and after that, it’s your centremen. It’s just so crucial to everything you do. It’s good and more than welcome.”

A CLASS ACT

Best wishes to former Senators centre Antoine Vermette.

He officially announced his retirement Thursday after 14 season. Taken No. 55 overall by the Senators in the 2000 NHL draft, Vermette, a tremendous faceoff man, had a great career and he was with the Ottawa organization until he was sent to Columbus on March 4, 2009 at the trade deadline.

The 36-year-old Vermette also spent time with the Arizona Coyotes and was with the Anaheim Ducks the last two seasons. The highlight of his career was winning a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015 after being part of a deadline deal with the Coyotes.

He was a solid performer through his career.

“Antoine Vermette was one of the top centres on faceoffs in the NHL throughout his career, a versatile player who could in an offensive or defensive role, he could contribute on the power play or kill penalties,” Vermette’s agent Allan Walsh said in an email.

“But no player that I’ve encountered in my years as an agent garnered as much respect by his teammates off the ice. Antoine was known as a leader, a consummate team-first guy who was revered by players and coaches alike for his commitment, his class and the pride that he brought to his game.”

Vermette finished his career with 228-287-515 points in 1,046 games. He had 80-87-167 points in 359 games with Ottawa.

THE LAST WORDS

The Senators are 2-0 against the Penguins this season. The club scored a 6-4 victory over Pittsburgh Nov. 17 at home and a 2-1 OT victory in Ottawa on Dec. 8. Sidney Crosby has respect for the challenge the Senators pose. “They’re a young team and they play with a lot of speed,” Crosby said Thursday. “They’re pretty conscientious defensively. We just have to make sure we do a good job of managing the puck, playing in their end and trying not to allow that speed to be a factor.” Crosby agreed there are plenty of teams with speed in the league. “Maybe all not quite as young as them, but overall I think a lot of teams are trying to play a fast game. They’ve been trying to be a young team and build that way,” Crosby added. “Youth is important.” … Pittsburgh defenceman Kris Letang is in pretty good company. He scored his 12th of the season and 108th of his career against the Lightning. That tied him with the legendary Paul Coffey for the franchise lead in goals by a blueliner. “Growing up, watching him, never thought I would have my name next to his,” Letang, who has 479 points in 730 career games with the Penguins, told Pittsburgh reporters after the game. “Surreal.” … The Senators were pleased to have the nine-day break. It’s been a tough road for this team physically and mentally because of the lack of success. “It was good. It’s nice to not just rejuvenate the body, but also the mind, and get away from the game a little bit,” said winger Mark Stone. “I think the guys are just pretty excited to get back.” … Boucher wanted to speak with goalie coach Pierre Groulx before announcing who will make the start in Pittsburgh. Judging by the skate it looked like backup Anders Nilsson will play, but because of a back-to-back Boucher wanted to see what Groulx was thinking. “We’ve got the luxury of having our two goalies and we’ll make a decision on what we’re doing tomorrow,” said Boucher.

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